
WARRIOR CODE
Of all the five Gorean High Castes, the most romanticized
and probably the most often misinterpreted Caste is that of
the Scarlet... the Caste of Warriors. Too many foolish young
men seem compelled to pronounce themselves "Warriors"
simply because they like to think of themselves as
dangerous, mysterious and chivalrous. This not only is an
insult to those who truly are of that Caste, it tends to result
in the delivery of many such braggarts to the Cities of Dust
by the able hands of those who truly know and follow the
codes.
Although upon the world of Gor Warrior is a social caste
title, in truth social position tends to matter little in dictating
who shall be true Warriors. Nor does physical size
determine who may consider himself a Warrior. Being a
Warrior is almost completely dependent upon learning, and
maintaining, a specific "mindset" which applies to all things
in Your life, a set of rules which You strive to live by.
Honor
First and foremost among the traits of any Warrior is His
Honor. It is His singularly most precious possession... once
lost or damaged, it can only be regained through rigorous
trial or longterm atonement, and sometimes not even then.
A Warrior's Honor is a beautiful, fragile, powerful, and often
fleeting thing, and so it is the responsibility of the Warrior to
maintain it at all costs. The concept of a Warrior's Honor is
difficult to put into words, especially for those who have
never sought it or possessed it. It is a highly personal matter,
and cannot be judged by any but the Warrior Himself.
Perhaps the best way to explain Honor is through example,
and comparison. The Honor of a Gorean Warrior is similar
in many respects to what some would define as "character."
For example: A Gorean Warrior values highly such personal
traits as courage, determination, and honesty. He even
values these traits when they are manifested by enemies,
and will admire and respect such an enemy even when
locked in deadly combat with Him. Through the very act of
engaging in combat, and fighting honorably, with the
respect for one who dares to take up arms against Him, a
Warrior acknowledges the belief that Honor transcends
even boundary lines of caste, city, and code. This is
character; this is Honor.
When all persons in a room defer to the judgement of one
individual, due to respect of His wisdom and/or fear of His
weaponry, they are, in effect, doing Him Honor. It is not the
weaponry in itself which is feared...without the hand which
wields it, a weapon is merely an object, an empty symbol.
What makes a weapon fearsome is the certain knowledge
that the person who carries it is willing to use it when
necessary. When those who meet a Warrior know that He is
prepared to instantly enforce His decisions and defend His
personal code regardless of the cost, then it is foolish for
any to stand in His way unless they, too, have declared such
an objective. You may not agree with a Warrior, but any
attempt by you to prevent Him from taking the action He
deems necessary will have immediate and dire
consequences. A Warrior is prepared to face those
consequences at any time. Others Honor His commitment,
and take it seriously, whether they agree with it or not. In
fearing and respecting the Warrior, they do Him honor.
When a Warrior is taken at His word by others, and
earnestly fulfills every vow, every promise, every letter of
His codes though perhaps none are at hand to enforce His
adherence to these things, then, and only then, can He truly
be said to be a Man of Honor.
When in the course of combat His enemy is reduced by
chance or circumstance to defeat, and is stripped of the
means by which to die well in service to His codes, an
Honorable Warrior will, if possible, provide His enemy with
an opportunity to stand and be counted until the bitter end.
This, also, is Honor.
It should be remembered that those who disregard Honor
and behave dishonorably, through lies, treachery, or other
such base acts, have in effect abandoned their right to
Honorable treatment by men of Honor. If identified as being
without Honor, such dishonorable persons are seldom
treated with respect or afforded the right to an Honorable
end.
Your Word
One of the greatest and most important points of personal
Honor is a person's word. This is the yardstick whereby
personal Honor may be measured. Naturally, it is not
always wise to tell the truth, and in certain circumstances
the unfailing adherence to veracity can cause great
complications, the death or injury of the speaker not
withstanding. However, there is a difference between
always telling the truth and breaking one's word.
A person's word, is, quite literally, His word of Honor.
Personally, I have seen many occasions where the ability to
bend or stretch the truth was critical to protecting someone's
feelings, or avoiding unnecessary confrontation... indeed,
oftimes "the truth" is entirely a matter of personal opinion
and viewpoint. But when a person offers His hand to
another and "shakes on it", or even simply looks another in
the eye and pledges His word that something is a certain
way, or swears that something will be done, then that is the
formal pledge of the swearer's word of Honor. If one
pledges His word in such a fashion and then breaks faith
often enough, then in a short time that person's "word of
Honor" will come to mean nothing.
Respect
Another aspect of Honor, and a fundamental tool in the use
and practice of the Gorean Warrior's codes, is respect.
Respect is a valuable device whereby Honor may be done
to another by You, but it is also the means whereby a
Warrior may maintain His status and indeed His very life,
through wise application of this particular concept. A
Warrior does not like to face a brace of caged sleen, in fact
He probably fears them to some extent. But that fear is not
blind, thoughtless terror... it takes the form of respect: the
respect for a thing which can do Him harm. A Warrior may
Honor such a beast with a swift death, or through blood
ritual after the hunt... this is simply because He admires the
creature's deadliness and strength of spirit. But more than
He Honors it, He respects it for what it can do to Him.
A Warrior respects anything which can harm Him or His
fellow Warriors, although again that respect does not
necessarily reflect fear on His part. He also respects beauty
and skill, as well as any talent and ability which requires
time and talent to perfect... the cunning strategic mind of the
Master Kaissa Player, the skill of the musician who strums
the kalika, the beautiful and intricate patterns of a delicate
tapestry. It takes great skill to throw a spear accurately and
far... it takes no less skill for a belled pleasure slave to dance
superbly for her Master's pleasure. While a Free Man might
not Honor a slave, He can certainly respect her talents and
well-tuned slave nature.
Duty
One of the primary parts of the Gorean Warrior's daily life is
service, or duty. Service is any act which is performed on
the behalf of another... another Warrior, the general of an
army, or a Freeperson in need of aid. Duty is the sense of
responsibility which compels a Warrior to serve another,
and it is also the manner by which He prioritizes such
service. To so serve is to "do One's duty" in the classic
sense, that is to faithfully serve the people or institutions to
whom One has pledged His service. This is never done
blindly, however.... each and every Warrior on Gor uses His
own judgement, and stands by the decisions He makes...
this is His duty to Himself... the duty of maintaining His
Honor.
Life and Death (Gorean pragmatism): It is important,
when considering the mentality of the Gorean Warrior, to
remember that Gor is a deadly place, filled with savage
creatures, not the least of which is man. The law of "survival
of the fittest" is in constant practice there, and the entire
culture of Gor is founded upon that principle. Each Gorean
is the result of a culmination of countless centuries of
selective breeding, in which the weaker and less adaptive
elements of human stock have been culled from the
populace, and the strong strain of those who have survived
has become the majority of the planetary population. This is
actively reflected in basic Gorean philosophy, as well as
being a fundamental part of that planet's own culture. In
short, survival is never taken for granted; the very act of day
to day living is prized and much appreciated; and the most
ruthless facts of life are brought home to Goreans on a daily
basis. Goreans feel that all things which are weak deserve to
be enslaved.
Gold and Steel
~Gorean Tactical Thinking~
Tactical thinking is a large part of the Gorean Warrior's
training and mindset... tactics of thought, tactics of combat,
tactics of battle. Most Gorean Warriors will debate these
subjects for many ahn, sometimes applying their own
personal techniques and strategies to a long session over the
Kaissa board. But all in all, despite the many subtle
variations espoused by different Warriors from the various
cultures and areas of Gor, a single dictum, common to all
Gorean Warriors, seems to remain the centerpiece of
Gorean tactical philosophy. It can be written as:
Do what seems best to You;
Expend as little effort as possible to achieve maximum gain;
Do not fear to try something new and different, should it
seem wise to do so.
When a Gorean Warrior says "there exists nothing but gold
and steel" what He is saying is that when all matters of
human existence are pared down to their essentials, these
two items are the absolute sum in the equation... the final
driving forces whose interaction impacts his life to the
greatest extent. A Gorean likes to get down to basics in such
a fashion; not only does it remind Him not to waste His
time on foolish pursuits, it also allows Him the luxury of
forgetting trivialities and concentrating upon the most
important things which currently exist in His life, whether
those things consist of leading tarnsmen in an attack on an
enemy cylinder or correctly lacing His sandals in
preparation for a long march.
This, then, is an interpretation of the mindset of the basic
Gorean Warrior. Do not pronounce Yourself a Warrior
unless You understand and are prepared to accept these
dictims. To do otherwise is to ensure that Your life on Gor
will be either short and unpleasant, or lengthy and
unfulfilling.
My Thanks to Tarquin of Treve from long ago, who gave me these codes,
to study and understand.
HAI Tarquin.
